With the announcement of new fuel economy standards last week, the Obama
administration made sure that the days of car company battles against
fuel-efficient and alternative fuel vehicles are safely in our rear-view
mirrors. Numerous studies have shown that 75%+ of the
energy used by a car over its lifetime is consumed in the operation of the
vehicle, so this focus on efficiency is well-placed. But we shouldn’t forget
about the other 25% of energy use or the environmental impacts that come with it
- hazardous chemicals that off-gas when our cars sit in the sun, components that
are difficult to recycle, and loads of plastics made from petrochemicals among
them.

Green building practices are successful because they consider every aspect of
how a house is built. Energy systems such as furnaces, water heaters, insulation
and renewable energy options are important, but so too are sustainably harvested
woods, countertops made from recycled materials, and paints or adhesives that
don’t harm our health. Shouldn’t we expect the same from our cars, with their
thousands of components sourced from around the world?

The good news is that manufacturers are starting to take the challenge of
building efficient AND sustainable cars seriously. Ford Motors, for instance,
highlighted the following initiatives last week:

Soy-based polyurethane foam seat cushions and backs. In
2008, Ford used the soy foam in over 1,000,000 vehicles including the Escape
(hybrid and standard), Focus and Mustang, cutting its use of petrochemicals by
over 1,000,000 pounds.

Post-industrial recycled content (good) and post-consumer recycled
content (better) yarns in seat fabrics. Ford’s use of post-industrial
recycled yarns in some models has reduced CO2 emissions and energy use by over
60%. Recycled plastic soda bottles are used to make the seat fabrics of the
Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKZ models.

Plastic underbody shields made from recycled detergent bottles,
tires and battery casings. Use of these recycled materials in 2008
diverted over 25 million pounds of waste from landfills, and Ford is using the
materials on all 2009 models.

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Ford has more such projects on the drawing board, and is examining the use of
plastics filled with natural / compostable fibers, the use of completely
biodegradable plastics (PLA, made from certain vegetables) and soy-based
materials in components throughout a car.

Honda is working with suppliers to reduce the volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) overall in car interiors. Low-VOC interiors are included in the
2008 (and we assume later) Honda Accord and the 2009 Acura TL among other
models.

We'd love to hear more about efforts with other manufacturers, so if you have
news please let us know in the comments to this post.

This article was reproduced with the kind permission of Low Impact Living. For more news and information visit www.lowimpactliving.com.